Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the increase in eating disorders among teenagers and young adults.

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, there is a critical need to shift the treatment of eating disorders from hospital to the community. Improved care in the community will give young people early access to evidence-based treatment involving families and carers, improving outcomes and preventing relapse.

NHS England is currently working to improve children’s community eating disorder services. Improved care in the community will give young people early access to evidence-based treatment involving families and carers, improving outcomes and preventing relapse. By preventing eating disorders from progressing to adulthood, we will help deliver our aim to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.